A Celebration of Early 2000’s Television

Austin Magers
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read

I was one of the children (which I think is most children) that were allowed to watch whatever they wanted on TV from a young age. Around 3rd or 4th grade I found MTV, MTV2, and VH1. From that point on, my television habits were never the same. Every once in awhile I would watch Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network, but that was it (Give me a break, I was still only 8 or 9).

What made TV so great in the early 2000’s was how raw it was. The Real World first aired in 1992 believe it or not, but it felt like reality television was just starting to hit its prime in the early 2000’s. For example, The Bachelor did not air until 2002. Which sparked VH1 to launch shows such as: Flavor of Love, I Love New York, and Rock of Love. My dad and I watched these shows religiously. Good family bonding, right? None of the cast members on this show had any filters whatsoever, making for some of the great moments in reality TV.

MTV, which used to only play music videos (people forget that), had risen in popularity due to shows like Wildboys, and Viva La Bam. These guys had some of the rowdiest and most outrageous personas and that’s what made them such great television! Shortly after these shows, but before VH1’s obsession with love, MTV released Next, Room Raiders, and even a show titled Date My Mom. The shows Next and Room Raiders exposed some of the most superficial and shallow qualities of their participants… Imagine going on a blind date with someone, and then at the end of the date, they chose $1 for every minute the date lasted, instead of a second date with you. This savagery actually existed within the Next universe.

If you have time check out this list of Greatest Next Moments.

Why is she in a bikini?

In 2006 MTV got its big break with the great success of Rob and Big. It had a wildly successful three seasons that led to the eventual Fantasy Factory. The rise of Rob Dyrdek and his popularity also paved the way for other action junkies, such as Travis Pastrana, and his eventual show Nitro Circus later down the road. Probably MTV’s biggest hit, and arguably one of their most wild shows aired three short years later…

On December 3rd, 2009 MTV released Jersey Shore, which was meet with great ratings, cultural hair movements such as blowouts and “Snooki bumps”, and the term “smush.” For me this was when reality television peaked. I’m not sure if I just outgrew reality TV, if nostalgia is over-glorifying these shows, or if shows that were typically raw and not afraid to be shallow cannot exist in today’s overly PC world. Regardless, all of these shows should be on Netflix so we can find out.

Real quick shout out to the following MTV and VH1 shows: Punk’d, The Andy Milonakis Show, True Life, Made, My Super Sweet 16, MTV Cribs, Pimp My Ride, The Surreal Life, and Behind the Music.

Y’all made watching TV exhilarating; most likely why I went through my chubby phase.

Rest in peace Christopher “Big Black” Boykin. Rest in peace Ryan Dunn.


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The Crossover

Sports and Media, From People Who Live For Sports and Media

Austin Magers

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The Crossover

Sports and Media, From People Who Live For Sports and Media

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